There are many situations in which a computer keyboard is used by many people over the course of a workday or workweek. One such situation is in a laboratory or prototype environment with computer interfaces to a test system where high demand for access to valuable system resources is governed by a schedule. The test system may be scheduled, for example, for 8-hour periods by different engineers to allow them to test their work. It is possible, therefore, for an individual with, for example, a cold or the flu, to transmit the illness to a subsequent user of the test system through whatever germs that might be able to sustain themselves on the keyboard. It is desirable to have a supply of disposable covers for the keyboard such that each subsequent user will have an unused sanitary cover to aid in the hygienic prevention of the transmission of germs.
Keyboard covers are well known in the art (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,638). Most prior art keyboard covers are designed for long-term installation to protect the keyboard assembly from environmental contaminants. They are usually form-fitted to the specific key array, and are designed to withstand the rigors of long-term use. A problem with these prior art covers is that they are not designed to be single-use disposable and would be prohibitively expensive should they be used in this manner. Another problem is that the covers do not protect subsequent users of a keyboard from the transmission of germs a prior user may have deposited on the keyboard.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that will dispense inexpensive sanitary single-use disposable keyboard covers.
Another object of the invention is for such keyboard covers to allow full use of the keyboard through the sanitary covers with minimal loss of the keyboard's "touch" or "feel."